From carriage rides to historic homes, Charleston offers terrific experiences that should be on every traveler's list. Here are Fodor's top picks for the most memorable trip.
Carriage Ride
Get your bearings the fun way with a carriage ride through the historic district. You’ll soak up history, lore, and architectural tidbits all while enjoying amazing views.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Charleston Travel Guide
Old Slave Mart Museum
Charleston was the main point of entry into America for enslaved people in the 18th and 19th centuries. Visit this museum (and one-time slave auction house) for a detailed telling of their journey.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Charleston Travel Guide
Sullivan’s Island
Drive 20 minutes north of town to this slow-paced island. Family-friendly and mellow, the beaches are edged in dunes and maritime forests.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Charleston Travel Guide
Sweetgrass Baskets
“Sewn” from sweet-smelling plants that line the Low country's marshes, these baskets were first made to winnow rice. The designs can be traced to West African countries.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Charleston Travel Guide
USS Yorktown
Charleston's naval history is long, and Patriot's Point on the Charleston Harbor offers three amazing (and retired) ships for tours: the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, the destroyer USS Laffey, and the submarine USS Clamagore.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Charleston Travel Guide
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Charleston Travel Guide
The Wreck of the Richard and Charlene
Named after an old shrimp boat, this seafood dive on Shem Creek is home to famed fried grits, red rice, okra, and fresh-off-the-docks crab, shrimp, and fish.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Charleston Travel Guide
Drayton Hall
Head 40 minutes out of town to explore this rare, still-standing pre-Revolutionary plantation home on the banks of the Ashley River.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Charleston Travel Guide
Fort Sumter National Monument
Take the boat tour to this fort in the harbor to see where the first shots of the Civil War were fired in 1861. You can also learn about the lives of the Federal and Confederate troops who occupied it.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Charleston Travel Guide
Regional Cuisine
A national culinary destination, Charleston has talented chefs who offer innovative twists on traditional Low country cuisine. Pull up a chair at Husk, where James Beard Award-winning Sean Brock wows diners.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Charleston Travel Guide
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Charleston Travel Guide
Nathaniel Russell House Museum
Go behind closed doors at this mansion-turned-museum to wander around grand parlors and drawing rooms, and learn about antebellum life in Charleston.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Charleston Travel Guide
USS Yorktown
Charleston's naval history is long, and Patriot's Point on the Charleston Harbor offers three amazing (and retired) ships for tours: the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, the destroyer USS Laffey, and the submarine USS Clamagore.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Charleston Travel Guide
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Charleston Travel Guide
The Wreck of the Richard and Charlene
Named after an old shrimp boat, this seafood dive on Shem Creek is home to famed fried grits, red rice, okra, and fresh-off-the-docks crab, shrimp, and fish.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Charleston Travel Guide
Drayton Hall
Head 40 minutes out of town to explore this rare, still-standing pre-Revolutionary plantation home on the banks of the Ashley River.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Charleston Travel Guide
Fort Sumter National Monument
Take the boat tour to this fort in the harbor to see where the first shots of the Civil War were fired in 1861. You can also learn about the lives of the Federal and Confederate troops who occupied it.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Charleston Travel Guide
Regional Cuisine
A national culinary destination, Charleston has talented chefs who offer innovative twists on traditional Low country cuisine. Pull up a chair at Husk, where James Beard Award-winning Sean Brock wows diners.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Charleston Travel Guide
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Charleston Travel Guide
Nathaniel Russell House Museum
Go behind closed doors at this mansion-turned-museum to wander around grand parlors and drawing rooms, and learn about antebellum life in Charleston.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Charleston Travel Guide
The Wreck of the Richard and Charlene
Named after an old shrimp boat, this seafood dive on Shem Creek is home to famed fried grits, red rice, okra, and fresh-off-the-docks crab, shrimp, and fish.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Charleston Travel Guide
Drayton Hall
Head 40 minutes out of town to explore this rare, still-standing pre-Revolutionary plantation home on the banks of the Ashley River.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Charleston Travel Guide
Fort Sumter National Monument
Take the boat tour to this fort in the harbor to see where the first shots of the Civil War were fired in 1861. You can also learn about the lives of the Federal and Confederate troops who occupied it.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Charleston Travel Guide
Regional Cuisine
A national culinary destination, Charleston has talented chefs who offer innovative twists on traditional Low country cuisine. Pull up a chair at Husk, where James Beard Award-winning Sean Brock wows diners.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Charleston Travel Guide
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Charleston Travel Guide
Nathaniel Russell House Museum
Go behind closed doors at this mansion-turned-museum to wander around grand parlors and drawing rooms, and learn about antebellum life in Charleston.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Charleston Travel Guide
Nathaniel Russell House Museum
Go behind closed doors at this mansion-turned-museum to wander around grand parlors and drawing rooms, and learn about antebellum life in Charleston.
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Charleston Travel Guide